Best Sci-Fi Anime of 1996

In the year 0079 UC, the Earth Federation launches Operation Odessa, a major offensive to retake a key Ukrainian city from the Principality of Zeon. The operation succeeds, forcing the remaining Zeon forces to scatter across the globe. With this victory, the Earth Federation gains the advantage in the One Year War and deploys its ground troops worldwide to hunt down the dispersed Zeon remnants. Ensign Shiro Amada is assigned to Southeast Asia to lead the 08th MS Team, a unit of RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type pilots. On their first covert mission, the team's goal is to divert Zeon forces while Earth Federation soldiers search for an unidentified new Zeon weapon. The mission proceeds smoothly until Shiro encounters Aina Sahalin, a Zeon ace pilot he had met before. This encounter shakes Shiro’s resolve, and he must now demonstrate his loyalty to the Federation or risk being accused of treason.

A different version of the early Dragon Ball story presents a fresh perspective on Goku's first encounter with Bulma and Kame-Sen'nin. The narrative returns to the struggle against the Red Ribbon Army, featuring a twist where the military organization discovers Goku first rather than him finding them.

Despite his love for the fictional mecha series Gekiganger 3, Akito has no interest in fighting and prefers cooking. His quiet life is disrupted when his Mars base is destroyed, leading to his sudden arrival on Earth. Searching for answers, Akito seeks out Yurika, a girl he once met by chance, hoping she can offer some explanation. Yurika, captain of the private warship Nadesico, gives Akito a spot on her crew as their cook so he can stay close to her. Equipped with nanite implants that let him pilot mechas, Akito also serves as a backup pilot for the ship's fleet. He joins a team driven by revenge for Mars, initially appearing to be a disorganized group of otakus and airheads but later revealed to be highly skilled. As they set out on their vengeful mission, they confront the reality that actual war does not follow the simple narratives of mecha shows.

The 7th Space War broke out when a space colony declared independence from the Earth Federation, sparking a full-scale war between Earth and space. In response, the Federation deployed mobile suits known as Gundams against the Space Revolutionary Army. But the revolutionary forces played their final card, hurling hundreds of space colonies onto Earth and forcing the planet into a nuclear winter that lasted seven years. The Federation collapsed, and although the Space Revolutionary Army could not follow up with an invasion of Earth, the damage was done. Now, fifteen years later, in the year After War 0015, a New Federation has emerged on Earth to restore order, while colonial leaders in space have been quietly rebuilding their own military strength. In the midst of this fragile peace, fifteen-year-old Garrod Ran stumbles upon an old Federation mobile suit—the Gundam X—and uses it to aid the Vulture ship Freeden in its fight to keep the powerful from repeating the mistakes of the past.

In the distant future, Earth's overpopulation drives humanity to seek out and colonize other planets. During one such voyage, the colony ship 'Mesopotamia' suffers a catastrophic malfunction, killing all but six of its passengers. These lone survivors manage to flee to a nearby planet, 'Terra II', which closely resembles Earth in many ways. However, each of the six is male, so in order to ensure their mission is not in vain, they establish six nations and continue their population through cloning and genetic engineering. Despite this, women still do not exist, and to compensate for their absence, they build highly advanced female androids — lifelike machines called 'Marionettes' — to carry out everyday chores and tasks. Yet these androids remain purely emotionless machines. One day, however, an ordinary young man named Otaru happens upon and also awakens three special battle-type Marionettes, who bear true feelings thanks to the 'Maiden Circuit' built inside them. From that moment on, it's his way to teach them about the world and help those emotions grow. And when a neighboring country makes a move for global domination, it falls to Otaru and those 'human' Marionettes he cares for to defend their nation.

Tsutomu is an ordinary high school student cramming for his entrance exams when he accidentally wanders into an ongoing police operation. In the chaos, he gets caught in the line of fire and is fatally wounded. Just as he is about to die, a young woman named Birdy appears at the scene. She merges her consciousness with his, saving him from certain death. Now the two share a single body and must adapt to coexisting as Birdy continues her work as an interplanetary law enforcement officer, pursuing criminals and protecting lives.

In a far-off region of the galaxy, the escaped convict Kain breaks out of prison and causes massive destruction by demolishing the Galaxy Police Headquarters. Delighted by the turmoil he has unleashed, Kain turns his attention to a larger objective on Earth. Back on Earth, Tenchi Masaki and his friends are viewing old home videos featuring his mother, Achika. While the footage plays, Achika slowly starts to vanish from the screen, and shortly after, Tenchi himself begins to fade. Fortunately, a device created by Washuu Hakubi prevents Tenchi from disappearing entirely. The group quickly deduces that Kain is responsible for Achika's disappearance and suspect he has meddled with the timeline. To protect his own existence and the future, Tenchi travels through time with his companions, aiming to prevent his mother from suffering a fatal fate.

In the peaceful, sunlit beaches of South Island, Sonic the Hedgehog and his friend Miles "Tails" Prower live a carefree life inside an abandoned airplane. Their quiet existence is interrupted when they receive an urgent summons from the President of Planet Freedom. Upon arriving at the Presidential office, Sonic and Tails find Dr. Eggman lounging around as if he owned the place. Though Sonic is eager to confront Eggman right away, the doctor insists he is not plotting any new schemes of conquest. Instead, he asks for help, revealing that the generator powering his city, Eggmanland, has been taken and overloaded by an unknown threat. Without intervention, the generator will explode, endangering both Eggman's and Sonic's homes. Despite his doubts, Sonic agrees to assist, hoping Eggman might finally be honest. Together with Tails, they venture into the unknown, where a foe that feels both strange and unsettlingly familiar waits in the shadows.

In the year 2046, humanity is pulling away from robots, and trust in them is steadily eroding. Life grows increasingly dangerous for the beings known as Seconds—the most recent line of robots, at least as far as the public is aware. This is the world Detective Ross Sylibus lives in. After his previous partner was killed by a robot, Sylibus requested a transfer to Mars. But the moment he arrives, he is thrust into a murder case: a country singer on his flight was killed. As he steps off the plane and watches the scene unfold, he meets his new partner, Armitage, a female cop with a sharp attitude. More women turn up dead, and the investigation soon uncovers a hidden truth—there is another line of robots known as Thirds. One by one, Thirds go missing, and a serial killer intent on exterminating every Third runs loose. In her pursuit of the murderer, Armitage reveals a secret of her own: she is a Third.

In the post-apocalyptic world that Earth has become in the 21st century, monsters, mutants, and demons all roam the land searching for human prey. Kakugo and Harara have been trained by their father in the ancient Zero fighting technique, tasked with protecting the last remnants of humanity and restoring hope and peace on Earth. Empowered by both their superior combat skills and secret techniques, as well as special living armor forged from the souls of ancient warriors, they are sent into the world to defend the weak from demons and mutants who savagely attack and destroy human life. Yet, despite all their training, Harara succumbs to the evil within, killing their father and believing Kakugo is dead as well. But their fates remain intertwined. Kakugo arrives at the remnants of a city to aid the few human inhabitants. As he saves them from the ravages of cannibalistic monsters and depraved mutants, he once again encounters his psychotic sibling, and the bloodiest battle of the 21st century gives new meaning to sibling rivalry!

Teppei sets out to reunite with his older brother Kotaro Takamiya, who is attending a scientific conference, after spending the past 11 years training under a mysterious woman named Karen. But his hopes for a family reunion are dashed when a woman named Aramis massacres everyone at the conference and kidnaps Kotaro. On his journey to rescue his brother, Teppei comes across a broken mechanical horse called B't X, which is revived by Teppei's blood and becomes his ally in the fight to save Kotaro from the enigmatic Machine Empire.

The members of this Magic Club are capable of far more than simple card tricks. One year ago exactly, aliens arrived on Earth—though not in the way anyone expected. After descending from space and crushing all resistance, the enormous spaceship named The Bell simply... stopped. For a full year it has hovered silently above the ocean, calmly watching how humans live. Most people have grown accustomed to it by now. But not the Magic User's Club. This small group of oddballs can perform genuine, real magic! Their leader, Takeo, is suspicious that the aliens will remain peaceful. He is determined to fight the alien threat, but that will be a difficult challenge given his club's composition: a lecherous president, a flamboyant vice president, an unreliable princess, a clumsy new recruit, and that recruit's hot-tempered best friend. Can this bizarre team get their act together and rescue the world?

Two video releases are collected here, presenting key moments from the Gundam Wing TV anime. Each installment of Operation Meteor includes one "Odd" episode and one "Even" episode. Heero, Trowa, and Wufei are the focus of the Odd episodes, while Duo and Quatre take center stage in the Even ones. Brief new scenes are also included in these episodes, showing the characters after the events of the TV series.

During a business trip, cereal salesmen Osamu and Jay come across a strange roadblock. Investigating, they witness a secret government operation where two mysterious demon-like beings attack military personnel who had responded to a crash involving a vehicle carrying classified research. In the debris, Osamu finds a stunning hermaphrodite with one gold eye and one crimson eye, sealed inside a frozen chamber. Before fleeing, Osamu presses a kiss to the glass between them. Later, Osamu and Jay confront Jay's father, a high-ranking scientist at a government lab. He reveals that what they saw is top secret and that without his intervention, they would face prison. Jay wants to move on, but Osamu is determined to learn more. By stealing a security badge, Osamu locates the facility where the person he kissed is held and learns their name is Kimera. Driven by an inexplicable urge, Osamu dreams of escaping with Kimera, even though the reasons for Kimera's captivity and the nature of such a relationship remain unclear.

Title: M.D. Geist: Death Force Geist is occupied with destroying the Death Force machines he unleashed across the planet Jerra. But his mission becomes more difficult when a powerful rival appears: Krauser, another M.D.S. (Most Dangerous Soldier), who has proclaimed himself humanity's sole guardian.

Have you ever encountered the ideal woman? Did she already have the ideal partner? Feeling unable to measure up? Then why not create your own? When a hobbyist mad scientist attempts to construct a mechanical copy of that dream girl, the result is Marie. Naturally, unforeseen complications arise. The builder crafted her so well that Marie possesses her own will and a barrage of questions to accompany it—the same questions that everyone asks about existence. Where did I come from? Why am I here? Why do I look exactly like that girl over there?! Well, maybe not everyone has to worry about that last one, but Marie certainly does.

Sexy superagents Kei and Yuri get into serious trouble while searching for Kei's godson, and come up against a murderous ski patrol. This episode collection also shows the crime-fighting duo battling seagulls and assassins. The two anime agents never get a break, always putting themselves in harm's way to successfully complete their important missions.

While taking a stroll in Tokyo, Linn Suzuki discovers a strange device buried in the ground. She is suddenly attacked by assailants but rescued by an enigmatic, handsome stranger who quickly defeats them. Linn had fled from Deep Kyoto to escape her abusive guardian and journeyed to Edo in search of her missing brother, who is rumored to work at the Kuon Detective Agency. The stranger is revealed to be Miho Kuon, who invites Linn to stay with her and gives her the nickname Kotetsu, a diminutive of Tetsu, after Miho's sibling Tetsujin. As events progress, a secret organization called the Syndicate begins pursuing Miho, drawing Linn further into their dangerous chase.

Ancient tales speak of a Dark Tower where a legion of dragons slumbers, awaiting the signal to rise and bring devastation. Kyle once dismissed these as mere myths—until the Black Dragon abducts his beloved Alita. Forced into an uneasy partnership with Blau, a blue dragon, Kyle must race against time to save her before she becomes the key to the Dark Tower's ultimate directive: the annihilation of the world itself.

A narrator offers concise background details on the Gundam universe, intended to bridge knowledge gaps for those new to the franchise.

When criminal Cyberanarchists emerge within Cyberland—the sprawling computer networks of the 21st century—Alice, Miss Catnick, Leina, and Julie are summoned by the enigmatic Lucia to form a squad of young female soldiers who will fight against this criminal threat within Cyberland. Note: A second installment was broadcast on TV TOKYO simultaneously with the first, but never saw a home video release despite a previously announced date, owing to poor sales of the multimedia franchise and the dissolution of the production company. This also put a halt to further expansion of the franchise, even though a script for a sequel game scenario exists on Chiaki Konaka's website.

After receiving Mutastones from Crys-Mu, the spirit of light, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles gain the power to enhance themselves into Super Turtles for a three-minute span. Meanwhile, the evil Shredder and his cohorts Bebop and Rocksteady stumble upon the Dark Mutastone, which transforms them into Devil Shredder, Supermutant Bebop, and Supermutant Rocksteady, respectively. But the Turtles still hold a final trick within their shells: by uniting all four of them, they can assume their ultimate form—Turtle Saint.

Following a crushing defeat in the final round of the 14th Cyber Formula World Grand Prix—a loss that ultimately cost him the championship—Hayato Kazami resolves to shake things up and moves to the Sugo Garland SF-03 for the 15th Cyber Formula World Grand Prix, all while awaiting the latest Asurada model. Yet his hopes of redeeming last year's disappointment hit a major obstacle when Aoi ZIP Formula undergoes a sweeping overhaul and appoints Kyoshiro Nagumo as the team's new president. The machine he introduces to the squad, piloted by rookie Phil Fritz, appears practically invincible...

A revival of the classic superhero series Hurricane Polymar. From Tokyo Plus, a cutting-edge research facility, comes a groundbreaking "Man Machine" system (Polymar) created by the late Dr. Oregar. Tragically, Dr. Oregar and his work are erased from existence when the Catsharks, loyal agents of Nova, steal this new technology for their sinister schemes. Miraculously selected as the next Polymar, Takeshi is thrown into the midst of the conflict as he learns his new role and mission—to eliminate Nova and his followers. He applies his karate skills, which include spinning kicks and backfists combined with flight techniques, to defeat the Catsharks, only for them to return stronger than ever under the cunning leadership of Nina. It is a desperate race against time for Takeshi to save Earth.

The land of Zer'lue is thrown into chaos, ravaged by the technological supremacy of Chairman Sana'ku and his oppressive, militaristic Zul'earth forces. Amid a rapidly escalating tale of treachery, deceit, and betrayal, only one boy holds the strength to overcome such insurmountable odds—a boy named Lue'der, who carries a mysterious red eye and the ability to harness the power of the wind. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Lue'der must learn to unlock his legendary powers and fight against the evil threatening to consume his planet.

In the year 2535 A.D., after enduring a long period of harsh control by the Terran government, the inhabitants of the colony world Omni united to proclaim their independence from Earth's tyranny. With no formal military or advanced war machines, the Omni uprising seemed destined for defeat. Yet by repurposing the robotic Power Loaders originally built for spacecraft cargo handling into humanoid combat units, the rebel forces initiated a new era of mechanized warfare. The fate of the planet Omni rests on a handful of young women pilots serving in the elite Detachment of Limited Line Service. Known as the Power Dolls, these pilots hold the key to their world's emancipation.

Five teenagers named Hishou, Ginga, Ace, Hayate, and Ikazuchi work at a studio helping with idol management under the direction of their boss, Reiko. In secret, they also form the Reideens, a team of superheroes tasked with battling the Super Devils sent by the mysterious being Lushu. Unknown to them, these Super Devils have a larger objective that lies beyond their awareness.

The arrival of the dimensional tunnel marks the dawn of a fresh era in space exploration, allowing travelers to reach planets far beyond the solar system. Hoshiwata Goro, a space wanderer, sets out on a journey to locate his father, whose whereabouts remain a complete mystery. The sole clue he possesses is an old photograph. Determined to achieve his goal, Goro signs on with a budding space travel agency called "YAT", a company that provides guided tours to a variety of planets. However, his travels take a sudden turn when a mishap leads to the complete destruction of the spaceship. Forced to repay the damages by working for YAT, Goro finds himself swept into a whirlwind of cosmic adventures.

Amid a brutal war between East Force and West Force, total disorder prevails. The Solonoid fighters, famed for their battle skills, find themselves once more caught in a fierce internal conflict. As the fighting reaches a critical point, the commanders of both sides seem to abandon their soldiers. In the middle of this turmoil, East Force picks up an enigmatic transmission from an uncharted planet. Acting on this lead, the Gall Force members abandon their positions to investigate this strange world. Lufy, a top pilot for West Force and the relentless chaser of Rabby, resolves to pursue them into this mysterious territory.

Signal is a robot companion built for Nobuhiko. He comes under attack from Pulse, an earlier prototype created by the same inventor. Pulse is reprogrammed by a mysterious rival of Dr. Otoi, then loaded with weaponry and dispatched on a mission ordered by Otoi: steal the latest robot technology and destroy anything that stands in his way.

Four billion years ago, in the Andromeda Nebula, an ambitious venture was set in motion. An ancient extraterrestrial race, recognizing that no other intelligent life existed in the universe, directed their massive supercomputers to seed additional species capable of developing sentience. This endeavor was called the Omega Program. Humanity emerged as one of its outcomes. But humans were not the sole species spawned by the Omega Program, and looming ahead is the gravest menace humanity has ever encountered. In due course, the offspring of this Program are fated to clash in violent conflict. Overwhelmingly outmatched by a foe with superior technology, Earth’s sole hope lies in the Omega Program’s hidden contingency—the Delta Boy, the living embodiment of the supercomputer that ignited life on Earth. His sole challenge is surviving long enough to rescue his own future—and that of all humankind.

Future GPX Cyber Formula: Early Days Renewal is following Future GPX Cyber Formula ZERO.

A menacing threat, Comet Warrior God Tsuifon, hurtles toward Earth from the northern reaches of the galaxy, annihilating everything in its path. The planet's legendary protector, Fighter Ultraman, prepares to confront this danger, setting the stage for a fierce battle.

An animated theatrical film that premiered as part of the 1996 Ultraman Wonderful World triple feature, shown alongside Ultraman Zearth and Revive! Ultraman.